Dragon Age: Destination
by omilly
Summary: This story takes place after the Archdemon is killed, and how Alistair handles his duties as King of Ferelden.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

A destructed city surrounded the small, and wounded militia group on the top of a wrecked tower. The looming sky had turned even darker, casting a reddish glow down upon the great, black dragon that had crashed to the stone ground. Scattered fire's continued to burn loudly, as the others continued to fight the Darkspawn who had made their way up to the tower.

Fear crept into every single corner of the Grey Warden's body, as she heard a low rumbling. The gigantic, black wings of the Archdemon began to push itself off of the ground slowly. Swallowing all feelings, she reached around her chest piece for her greatsword only to feel nothing on her back. Without a moment's hesitation she began to sprint, using all the strength she had left, ignoring all the sensations of pain and fatigue that screamed from her body.

Gaining momentum she ripped a sword out of a dead Darkspawn's body, and continued to run forward, directly towards the Archdemon. It had fully stood up now, it's incredibly large body stretching out to full size. It's jet black skin had shiny marks of blood across it, and it's eyes were as red as the sky above. It let out a roar, that sent a shiver down the Grey Warden's spine. Clenching her teeth, she moved her heavily armored legs closer and closer to the dragon.

The Archdemon brought itself close down to the stone ground, and looked at the her through lowered eyes. It let out another shivering cry, it's sharp teeth gleaming in the night. Breathing heavily, the Grey Warden dived down underneath the dragon's open mouth, her armor screeching on the stone, sending sparks flying. Driving her blade into the dragon's throat as she slide, and then wrenched it out at the end of the neck.

A pained filled cry echoed throughout the night sky, as the Archdemon crashed down onto the ground again, followed by a stream of blood. But this time the Archdemon laid unmoving, showing no signs of life. Gasping for breath, anger replaced all fear. She raised the greatsword up above her head, and with a cry drove it into the head of the Archdemon, delivering the final blow.

A golden ray of light erupted out of the Archdemon, straight into the sky. The beam could be seen all around the city, and fights were momentarily stopped at the unusual sight. It seemed to be never ending, as the light continued to pour out of the dragon up into the night. The Grey Warden stood in it, attempting to get her sword and herself out. Again and again she tried to wretch her sword out of the skull but her strength had abandoned her.

Suddenly, the beam of light erupted causing the Grey Warden to be lost in an explosion, and bystanders to be sent flying back from the force. A blue ring was casted around the tower, sending a thundering sound across the city, and then suddenly nothing.  
The sky had turned empty, and the sounds of fighting vanished, as the Darkspawn began to run cowardly away making them easy targets for the soldiers to defeat. But instead of killing the easy prey, many soldiers continued to stare at the tower, puzzled at what could have caused the strange event.

"Elaine! Elaine!" Alistair's voice was muffled by the smoke from the explosion. Nothing could be seen on top of the tower, just a thick black smoke. Alistair pushed himself off of the rubble, feeling the crunch underneath his hands. His boots clanked as he raced towards where he had last seen her. "Elaine!" He choked on the smoke, as he had began to breathe heavily. Heart pounding, and head wheeling Alistair had never felt so lost in his life, and it had nothing to do with not being able to find his way through the thick smoke.

A murmur, and thunderous clap caused a ball of light to fly by Alistair's head. And then another, and another. A mage was casting a spell, causing the smoke to clear away. Alistair clinged onto the hope that was still inside him, and stepped over the piles of rubble. Behind him he heard others beginning to stand up, but he only cared about what was in front of him.

Unknowingly, Alistair stepped onto a dead Darkspawn, and fell forward into the rummage. He just lied there, letting the feeling of dread rise up his into his throat, his windpipe closing in, but only for a second. Then he gritted his teeth, and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. "She had to have made it. She had to." He thought to himself.

He crawled closer to the the corpse of the Archdemon when he saw it. A golden colour amongst all the black and grey rubble. He had found her. "Elaine." He breathed, and rushed forward to her. Elaine's body was folded in on itself, unmoving. Alistair kneeled by her side, and grabbing her head gently he moved it onto his lap. Biting down onto his inner lip, he lowered his ear down to her mouth. The smallest sound of a wisp of air left Elaine, flickering into his ear.

A cry of happiness left Alistair, as he lowered his forehead to hers. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted his love off of the ground. She felt heavy in his arms. Though his feet stumbled across the stones, he did not allow himself to fall. He also did not allow himself to take his eyes off of Elaine's face. Her golden blonde hair was plastered to her face, with blood and sweat, and a slash went across the bottom of her jawline. Yet he still found her as beautiful as ever.

"Is she..." It was Leliana, but Alistair interrupted her.

"She's barely breathing. She needs to attention. Now."

Leliana nodded, and sheathed her bow, yelling at the others. "Head out, down the tower!"

Clutching onto Elaine's body a little harder, Alistair followed the group as they made their way down through the destroyed the city. It felt almost as she was getting heavier and heavier to carry, he could feel her slipping away. "We need to hurry." He begged. The group gave him a troubled look when they heard how worried he was, and began jogging faster, pushing through their fatigue.

The city was littered with dead bodies, of both Darkspawn and soldiers, and fires raged uncontrollably. The sky had turned back to a dark blue, but the stars were hidden still, only the large moon in the sky. At the gates of the city stood an army of men, covered in dirt, and blood. A general turned around and saw the group coming, "The King!" He yelled. The army cheered at the site of their king, and began to move to the sides to let him through. Alistair didn't hear any of the cheers, and was still simply staring at the unconscious Elaine in his arms.

"We need a healer, immediately." Leliana said sternly, her accent coming out fully.  
The General recognized her serious tone, and began to quickly lead them towards the castle.

Alistair was rushed into the castle, the rest of the group stopping just outside of the front doors. The entrance was surprisingly empty, but as Alistair looked into the dining room on the left all he could see is rows and rows of beds, most of them with soldiers in them. Healers ran around treating as many soldiers as possible, the buzzing of magicka and murmurs of spells was all that could be heard. A feeling of nausea began to rise up in his throat and sudden flashes of the wounded at Ostagar came into his head.

The General ran ahead into the room, leaving Alistair in the front entrance. The General ran up to a healer that was wearing completely white robs with a leather bag across her body, and talked to her quickly, using big arm motions. The healer looked out of the corner of her eyes to the King, and the future Queen in his arms, and then beckoned Alistair forward, "Follow me your Majesty." Her voice was gentle.

Alistair followed the healer, through what was now his castle. But he could care less, if it meant that he had no one to rule it with. The halls he walked down were unfamiliar, and seemed meaningless if there was no one to walk down them with.

The healer turned the knob of a large ornate door, revealing a large bedroom. Alistair laid down Elaine on the bed gently, moving her hair from underneath her. He stared down at her face, but she just laid as still as before. Desperately he looked up at the healer, who had taken off her leather bag and laid it across the table at the base of the bed.

"I know this is a lot to ask your Majesty, but I think it will be easier for you to leave. I have no idea what she has undertaken, it will be a very long and hard process."

"Can you just tell me if ..." Alistair stopped, not being able to finish the sentence.

"I'll do my best your Majesty."

Alistair nodded, his eyes low to the ground, and let himself out the room, closing the door as silently as possible. Staring blankly at the wall for several seconds, Alistair tried to pull himself together but simply could not. He leaned against the wall, putting his forehead on his arm, and closing his eyes.

"Alistair." He opened his eyes, and looked up to see Arl Eamon standing at the top of the stairs, his hands in the pockets of his tunic. Alistair suddenly felt his face get hot, and stood up straight, the shoulder blades of his armor clicking together.

"No need to act formally. You have seen me in this state before, no?" Eamon seemed genuinely sincere, as he spoke to Alistair, his old eyes soft. "I will ask you to do something, that was asked of me in a similar situation and then I will leave you to attend to your betrothed. Speak to your people."

"I need her by my side if I am going to do that."

"Alistair, Ferelden is saved. The Darkspawn defeated. The people need to hear from their King."

"While my love lies on her death bed?!" Alistair raised his voice, his anger uncontrollable. "The only reason I agreed to be King was because she said she would be by my side for it! And now she could be gone at any moment!" Eamon's face remained blank while Alistair continued. "I don't know what to say to them. I'm not a King. And I'll never be if she isn't my Queen. I won't."

Alistair turned his back to face Eamon, more embarrassed now because of his emotions. He could feel hot tears running down his face, and this is not how we wanted Eamon to see him on his first true day of being King.

"You need to let your people know what she has done for them. So if anything happens, which I pray to the Maker does not, it was not in vain."

Alistair looked over his shoulder at Eamon, lips pursed and eyebrows pushed together. "Alright."

"Then on with the coronation." Arl Eamon said, stepping forward to him, and placing his hand on his back. "It'll be okay son."

Alistair felt himself tremble a little at the word "son", as he walked down the red steps, but he clenched his fist, keep his emotions at bay. Glancing back at the bedroom that Elaine laid in, he swallowed hard and then continued down into the main hall where a citizens had began to gather.

He recognized Leliana, Wynne, Sten, Oghren, Zevran and Shale all standing together in a small group at the back of the crowd, all with looks of pure concern etched to their faces. At the site of Alistair their concern seemed double, but all tried to put up a front of bravery for their friend, who was going through something that none of them could even imagine.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Destruction was spread all throughout the city of Denerim. Buildings shattered, and dead filled the streets. But even though there was so much destruction and death, the smiles of the soldiers and bystanders could not have been bigger as they made there way towards the Castle.

"Why do they all look so happy?" Alistair asked, his tone bland. He was looking through a stained glass window. The entire Cathedral was surrounded by people, all ready for the coronation of their king, who had led them to victory.

"It's peculiar isn't it. Probably every single one of those people have lost someone, if not today, then sometime throughout this war. Yet they smile." Arl Eamon had one of his grey eyebrows raised, but a cheeky smile was on his face. Alistair's stone face did not move, not even at the sight of the old man's tender smile. "Because it is over Alistair. They can now live in peace."

"For now." Alistair blinked, and turned away from the window. The armor set that he now wore caused him to walk awkwardly, as it was not his own. Eamon had informed him earlier that he was to wear Cailan's old gold plated armor, which Alistair was entirely horrified by. But Eamon insisted, as it was tradition. The only thing that got Alistair through the process was thinking that his own father had worn the same armor. And now there he was, standing in a place he could have never imagined in his entire life.

"They are ready for you, your Majesty." It was a young elf woman, her skin as pale as snow, and her eyes a white gray.

Alistair stared her down, "Right." He hung his head low, and began to follow the elf.

"Just a word on the battle will suffice after the commencement." It was Eamon, trailing behind him.

He knew that Eamon was simply doing what he thought was needed, and any other time then now Alistair would have appreciated it. Hunching his shoulders up even further, he ignored him, and simply thought of what he would do after all this nonsense was over.

The young elf woman had taken him into a grand room, with large stained glass windows and beautiful fireplaces scattered all down the walls. Even in the mood Alistair was in he could not help but take in the beauty of what surrounded him. He had not had time to take in the same room, during the landsmeet, but now he did. There was warm glow to it, and all the hostility inside him almost seemed to vanish.

"Please wait over to your left, your Majesty." The young woman said, gesturing over to a small simple room, with a vase of red roses inside. Alistair obeyed her, and then waited quietly. They both stood in silence for what seemed like several long moments, before the young woman stepped to the side, and gestured for Alistair to continue.

Alistair turned the around the corner to face the beautiful room again. But this time it was full of glowing faces. An aisle had been made out of the sea of people that now stood inside the room. A weight seemed to suddenly crush his chest, as he began to walk slowly down the blue and gold rug, that lay between the two crowds. Alistair could feel all the eyes in the room follow him, as he stopped just before the grand stone stairs. Looking up he saw the Revered Mother of the Chantry, her frail hands folded together in front of her, and a smile etched into her ancient face. Breathing deeply, he took each step at a time, and at each step two soldiers saluted him. At the top of the stairs he bent down to one knee, feeling the friction of the joints of his armor.

As soon as the Revered Mother began to bless him, it seemed as if Alistair had become deaf. He did not hear anything she said, as it was all drowned out by the sound of the pounding of his own heart. Nor could he see anything, as he had closed his eyes so tightly that it hurt his head.

At the feeling of a light touch on both of his shoulders, Alistair stood, opening his eyes last. He found himself staring straight into the old, wise eyes of the Revered Mother, who then bowed her head to him. Mouth slightly open, he turned around slowly to find himself staring at a crowd of kneeled people, bowing to their new King.

Sten was the first to stand up out of the crowd, towering over those who still kneeled. He nodded sternly, and then relaxed his shoulders before others began to join him and stand. Alistair then lost sight of Sten in the crowd of people.

Alistair swallowed hard, before addressing them. "People of Ferelden." He paused, allowing himself to look at the crowd once more. "The Blight has been stopped. Ferelden is saved. But at the cost of many lives, and homes. I've seen the same as you, with my own eyes, and I feel the same pain as you, with my own heart." Grabbing his hand with his other to stop it from shaking, he continued. "Much has happened to this beautiful land, and we will be the ones to restore it's beauty once again. I will follow in the great steps of my father and brother." And that was all he could say, nothing else could leave him, other then short, shallow breaths.

The crowd stood in awe, and silence at their new King. Then suddenly a shout came from the crowd. "Long live King Alistair!" And then every person in the room repeated it. "Long live King Alistair!"

He managed a small smile, before heading down the small hallway from the coronation theater. Once he was out of sight, he began to jog down the cobble steps, his body screaming at him to stop. He strained his ears to find the sound of steps following his, but there was nothing.  
Moving through hallway, he began to feel more and more worried. A sickly feeling was creeping up through his stomach into his throat. He had been gone to long, anything could had happen to her. For all he could know she could be gone. Dead. Alistair felt his chest cave in on itself, when he thought that. Falling down to his knee, his armors clanked together loudly, echoing off of the stone floor and walls.

A flicker of light, and a sudden shadow was casted over on top of him. Looking up he found himself staring up at a pair of tan, lean legs wearing a pair of expensive, leather boots. Raising his head higher, he saw the face of Zevran looking down at him, a sad looked on his face.

"Get up Alistair." He said, in his thick accent.

Scowling furiously, and breathing loudly Alistair looked back down at the ground.

"Get up." Zevran demanded.

"Leave me alone." Alistair said, he felt like a child, being scolded. He went to wipe his hands, but then realized he had on Cailan's large, golden gloves on.

Zevran ignored his childish remarked. "What would she do if she saw you like this, huh?" He stretched out one of his hands out, covered in the fingerless gloves. "It would kill her."

"Yeh, well it's killing me." Alistair grabbed on to his hand, and pushed himself up off the ground.

"I know. We all do." Zevran pushed his dirty blonde hair away from his face, revealing his big, elf ears. "You need rest Alistair."

"No. Not until I know what's going on." He shook his head.

"I know Alistair. But if you don't get some while you can, you might miss out on something yes?"

"Fine." Alistair said bitterly.

Noticing his tone, Zevran continued. "Leliana, Wynne, Sten and I have all volunteered ourselves to watch over the door, and get you if anything happens. If she wakes up though, you need to be ready for her yes?"

He remained silent, and merely began walking forward. Zevran joined him, and they walked in silence, the only sound was the echoing sound of Alistair's boots and the wisp  
of Zevran's footsteps.

Several moments later, Alistair found himself in the same hallway as before. Zevran and him, stood back and allowed themselves to take in what they were seeing. Several healers were rushing in and out of the door, that was held open by a grey haired, women. Wynne saw the two of them, standing near the top of the staircase and quickly turned to one of the healers, and closed the door. She beckoned them over with one of her frail, old hands.

"Before you take your leave, one of the healers has a personal question about Elaine to ask, that only you would know as her betrothed. Then you will be lead to your room. I will have first shift, then Zevran if you need us." She spoke formally, but with the same glimmer of wisdom in her eyes that she has always had.

Alistair nodded again, and then turned to the healer standing next to Wynne. "A question about Elaine?"

"Oh yes, your Majesty. Perhaps you would like to speak more privately though." The healer said awkwardly.

Alistair glanced at Zevran and Wynne through the corner of his eye, and they took the hint and backed away from the two.

The healer stepped forward and asked in a hushed voice, "Your Majesty, is there any possibility that your betrothed is with child?"

"What?" Alistair blinked.

"Well, if she is with child our spells and potions will have to become very complicated."

"Umm," He did not know what to say. "No. No. Not that I am aware."

"Alright, thank you your Majesty." The healer bowed her head, and walked away.

Dumbfounded Alistair, turned to his friends standing off to the side they both had expressionless faces. Wynne went to speak but was interrupted by a skinny, elf maid.  
"I will lead you to the master bedroom now, your Majesty."

"No. The closest bedroom to Elaine's room."

"Oh, of course, your Majesty. Right this way." The maid seemed taken a back by his tone, but she merely straightened her back, picked up her skirts and took the nearest corner. Alistair followed her down the hallway, but was stopped short outside the front of a small, decorative wooden door.

"This is a guest room, your Majesty. It is not as grand, but will serve it's purpose for you." Taking a small, golden key out of her apron, she unlocked the door with a click and turned the knob. The door swung open, revealing a room filled with a large, lavish carpet and tapestry. It looked similar to that of the room Elaine laid in, but the environment was completely different. A warm glow was casted from the lantern sitting next to the bed that sat in the middle of the room.

The door clicked softly behind him, leaving him alone in the soft glow and warm room. Alistair began stripping off his armor, and decided to leave it scattered across the floor. Standing in front of the mirror, Alistair looked at his reflection staring at his body. Black bruises, fresh scratches and old scars covered it completely. There was not one portion of his body that he could find that was some how not normal. Then he thought of what Elaine's body must look like, surely crumpled and torn.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Alistair climbed into the bed letting himself into the bed. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in a real bed, never mind one with hand woven sheets and pillows. It felt as if he was floating. His eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and they closed continuously before they finally completely shut. And he fell into one of the deepest sleeps he had every had in his entire life, though it was riddled with fearsome dreams and realizations.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

_It was impossible to look away from her face. After such destruction, it was so fascinating to see such a magnificent being standing there. Elaine stood before Alistair, in a dress as white as an angel's wings, her golden hair wrapping around her neck, falling down past her waist. Blinking, Alistair moved towards her, a blind smile on his face. He grabbed Elaine's outstretched hands, interlacing his fingers with hers. They shared a long, intimate stare, before she took Alistair's hands fully in hers and moved them towards her stomach. _

_Confused, Alistair looked down, his eyebrows crumbled together, to find himself staring at a pregnant belly. He looked up at Elaine, who had a sad look on her face. "Alistair, what if it's true?" Her voice was like a wisp in the wind. _

_Suddenly, she let out a gasp and crippled over onto the floor. A substance as red as a demon's eyes began spreading throughout her dress, pouring down onto the floor. Alistair stood in shock, watching as blood seemed to pour out of every pore on her body, creating a pool around her. Blood splashed onto his face, as he threw himself to the floor, clutching Elaine. He pet her hair which was now soaked with the sickly colour. But Elaine flopped like a doll, dead. _

_"No. Not again." He sobbed into the crook of her neck uncontrollably, but the sound was drowned out by the sudden wailing sound of a baby crying._

Gasping for breathe Alistair awoke, his body shaking and covered in sweat. It was the same dream that had riddled Alistair for the past week. Every aspect, every colour, every tone was the exact same. Wiping his face Alistair sat up in the bed, letting the sheet fall off of him. Taking his hand, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. It felt like at any moment it might explode right outside of his body. Collapsing back into the bed, he thought about Elaine laying in the bed across the hallway, unmoving. Alistair swallowed hard, forcing himself to push the tears forming in his eyes back.

A knock came from the door, and then a voice with a thick accent began speaking. "Alistair. Alistair wake up." Their voice was urgent.

Rolling out the bed, Alistair rushed to the pile of clothes sitting near the corner. Grabbing a pair of leather pants, he stumbled to the door while putting them on. He threw the door open, and outside stood Leliana.

"Really?" Alistair asked, as he finished pulling up the top of his pants. She had barely nodded when Alistair pushed past her and began running down the hallway, bare feet and bare chest.

Alistair's heart continued to pound, perhaps even harder then it had been several moments before. This is what he had been waiting for, what he had suffered all the realistic nightmares and sleepless nights for. Just a glimpse of her.

At the end of the hall stood merely one healer, in a simple gown. She had a small smile on her face as Alistair stopped in front of her. "She awoke last night. We waited till now to tell you. But she seems fine." Alistair became impatient, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Don't rush her though, she will be groggy. I'll be out here if she needs anything yes?" Alistair nodded quickly, all he wanted to do was burst through those doors but he knew that he needed to be collected.

Twisting the door knob, Alistair entered the room and shut the door behind him quietly. Turning around slowly, he found himself staring Elaine, who was propped up by pillows.  
She looked tiny without all her huge armor on, and seemed to be swimming in the huge bed. She had her eyes closed, and head tilted back on the pillows, her breaths long and deep.

Moving towards the side of the bed, Alistair sat down on the edge of the bed, not able to take his eyes off of her face. A new scar had been added to her what seemed to be never ending collection, that went along her jawline. But the rest of her seemed fine, almost radiant, though he could only imagine how poorly she felt inside.

With another long deep breath, Elaine opened her eyes, one at a time. She blinked once more before turning to Alistair, a small smile on her face. "Hi love." She barely breathed the word.

Alistair let out a sound of happiness, he had waited for what seemed like eternity to hear her voice again. "Hello."

Elaine outstretched her hand to him, and he took it in his hands, clasping them together. He kissed the back of her hand, which seemed slightly more boney then usual. "How are you feeling?"

"I haven't felt this good since before Ostragar." Elaine wiped her eyes with her free hand, trying to wake herself up. "You on the other hand?" She eyed the bruises that littered his chest, and the bandage around his left shoulder.

Alistair looked down to the bandage. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch really." He said it with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Uh huh." She said sarcastically, making Alistair laugh silently.

"It's barely been two minutes and we are already bringing out the dry wit and sarcasm then?" He winked at her, before turning serious again. "But really, you're okay?"

"Yes Alistair. They did a lot for me. But I'd be a lot better if you stopped being a visitor in a clinic and got in the bed with me." She slide over in the bed, and patted the spot next to her. Shaking his head, he plopped himself next to her carefully, leaning against the wooden headboard.

Elaine moved herself closer to him, placing her head on his arm. He began absently stroking her hair, both of them closing their eyes at the feeling of the other. They sat there in silence, merely enjoying each others presence when there was a quiet knock at the door.

"Come in." Alistair said, continuing to play with Elaine's hair.

Eamon entered the room casually, and closed the door behind him with a click. "Hello, you two. It's nice to see the both of you finally reunited." The old man's face wrinkled as he smiled.

He walked a few steps closer, and placed his hands on the posts at the foot of the bed. The couple remained in the same position, and waited for Eamon to speak again.

"I know that both of you are tired, but we have a lot to do and prove to the Kingdom at the moment." He looked at Alistair, waiting for permission to continue. After he nodded, Eamon continued.

"Wedding preparations began moments after the landsmeet. I'm not sure if they interest you at all Elaine, but your lady-in-waiting is handling all the details."

Elaine raised her eyebrows, "They've already begun? How soon is the wedding going to be?"

"It was proposed to be in six months."

"Oh." Alistair spoke first, he sounded a little taken aback. "Why so far from now?"

"This cannot be a simple event Alistair. There is a lot to prepare for. It is the King's wedding after all."

"Right, I forgot." Alistair said, sounding embarrassed. He looked down at Elaine, who almost seemed scared. "Um, do we have any say on - on the wedding?"

"Of course!" Eamon chuckled. "But you must remember, many people will be there. It will be an event to remember you know!"

Alistair heard Elaine let out a breath, and felt the tightening of her delicate fingers around his wrist. Folding his eyebrows, he looked up to Eamon.

Eamon took the hint. "Right then. We'll we have lots to discuss, but even more time to do it. Farewell."

Alistair nodded at Eamon, and waited for the door to click close before turning to Elaine. "Is everything alright dear?"

Elaine licked her lips, hesitating.

"Are you in pain?" He asked quickly, beginning to push himself off of the bed.

Elaine grabbed ahold of his arm, stopping him. "I'm just... scared. I'm no good at any of this."

Alistair wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to his chest. "Oh Elaine." He kissed her forehead. His chest rose as he chuckled slightly. "You ran straight towards the Archdemon, eyes blazing. But _the_ Grey Warden is scared of wedding plans?"

Her light brown eyes flicked up to meet his, her eyebrows pushed together. "And crowds. And speaking. And - All I know is fighting, and dueling and death. I don't know the first thing about being a Queen. Or a wife." Her voice was small.

"Hey, neither do I. Well King and husband rather." He said in a silly voice, making Elaine giggle. "I think it's more of a day by day thing I believe."

A quiet knock came from the door before it opened, revealing the same pale Elvish girl who had been lingering around Alistair since he arrived in the castle. "Your Majesty. My lady." She bowed her head, her eyes low.

"I'm Nella, you're lady in waiting. I have one last potion for you to take before I take you to your own chambers." Her hands trembled slightly as she took the small vial off of the silver tray that she carried, and crossed the room to hand it to Elaine.  
Elaine took the potion easily, licking the sweet liquid off of her lips. "Mmm." A slight buzz went through her body almost immediately after she swallowed it. The tenderness near her ribs and joints slowly faded away, allowing her to sit up properly.

Alistair hesitated briefly before moving up off of the bed to help Elaine stand up. As she swung her legs up he noticed the bruises and fresh scabs that littered them. The muscles looked tired and weak, but seemed to be able to hold her just fine, as she stood up barely wobbling as she grabbed onto Alistair's outstretched hand for extra support. He looked her up and down smiling, completely taking in his love.

The white gown she wore hung off of her loosely, revealing her prominent collarbones and long neck. Her golden hair was a messy knot at the base of it. Her small chest moved deeply in and out as she stood up fully for the first time in weeks. A smile stretched across her face, causing her cheekbones to move high in to her face and large eyes to squint slightly.

Alistair couldn't help but notice how small, and frail she looked. He had seen her out of armor in their rare moments alone, but after months of seeing the woman he loved in nothing but huge armor pieces that weighed as much as her, it was odd to see her standing in a simple nightgown. He absolutely loved it.

With a quick press of lips, he placed Elaine's hand into Nella's. "I'll be downstairs whenever you are ready." He watched the two women slip out of the large, ornate door and began to walk down the hallway and up the small set of stairs that led to the master chambers. Alistair's caramel eyes followed them, watching Elaine's hips sway as she walked. A small grin spread across his face as he listened to the women's conversation that echoed through the hallway.

"It's just up her my lady." The elf said in a delicate voice.

"Please, call me Elaine."

"Oh." Nella sounded shocked. "Of course. Are the stairs to much trouble for you.. Elaine?"

"No." Elaine said stubbornly, but her huffs could be heard down the entire hallway.

Alistair grinned at her stubbornness. He knew the exact look on Elaine's face right now, eyebrows crossed and lips pursed in frustration. His thoughts were interrupted though by a sudden figure walking towards him, who he instantly recognized as Leliana.

"Well?" She asked impatiently, tucking her red hair behind her ears.

"She's upstairs with her lady in waiting. She.. she looks great." Alistair got lost thinking about the healthy and very much alive Elaine.

"Thank the gods." Leliana sighed with relief. "The lady in waiting will probably need help. Yes, yes." Before Alistair could speak, she was half way down the hallway speeding towards the master chambers, her boots jangling.


End file.
